Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Maybe I expected too much, but when I saw another Herbert associated with the Dune series, I automatically assumed that there would be deep sociological undercurrents. I thought the characters would have real, independent thoughts and actions. I was not expecting a blood-bath with predictable and rather shallow characterizations. My advice would be to re-read the other Dune books and let the classics stand by themselves.
Rating: 
Summary: My FINAL review of the book
Review: Finished the book today. Brian and Kevin have done it again! At only 603 pages, the next 25 years of the Dune history is filled with excellent stories, brilliant dialogue, and a sort-of happy ending. This is nowhere near the sheer brilliance of House Atridies, yet it was finished in a year, so, I'll give them a 4 star rating. i can't wait for the sequel (Let's hope that the sequel to Harkkonenn will be the last dune book. The series is already at 8 books.)
Rating: 
Summary: Good, but WAY too fast of a read!
Review: I'm on page 513 right now, and this book could use improvement. Don't get me wrong, I think it contiues the story of House Atridies very well (which is my favorite out of the series so far) but something's missing. The book feels like it was rushed, and the chapters are WAAAAAAY too short. For instance:When Duncan Idaho gets captured, I wanted to read the entire story of him getting off the ship at that time.But, this is a good book. Just remeber that it was thought out too fast.
Rating:
Summary: And the adventure continues...
Review: Before you read this book you must understand one fact: Frank Herbert is no longer with us. In fact, he's been gone for over 15 years. In order for the Dune series to continue, someone else had to take it over. And who better than his son Brian...with a great deal of help from seasoned science fiction author Kevin Anderson? Obviously there are those feel the series should have been left alone. They feel these new books are merely an attempt to squeeze every possible bit of money out of Dune...sort of like a Freman trying to squeeze every last drop of water out of the dry Dune atmosphere. (Sorry, couldn't resist the silly analogy.) I understand these people's viewpoints, but I also understand that Frank Herbert wasn't beyond exploiting his greatest creation himself. Let's face it, his last two Dune books ("Heretics of Dune" and "Chapterhouse Dune") were rather pale imitations of the original. Having said that, I really feel that Anderson and the younger Herbert have done an excellent job of reviving the series. "House Atreides" and now "House Harkonnen" both lack the incredible depth of the original, no doubt about it. But you know what? They are two very fun books to read. As a matter of fact, I had a blast reading "Dune: House Harkonnen" and I can't wait for "Dune: House Corrino." (Or will it be "Dune: House Vernius?") And the adventure continues...
Rating: 
Summary: Psychic Link?
Review: Brian Herbert and Kevin Anderson must have a psychic link with Frank Herbert's soul or some other unexplainable phenomenon. These two "prequels", House Atreides and House Harkonnen are outstanding! I cannot wait for the next one. I truly want to know the rest of the story. The books are very much like the originals and the writing style, as well as the political twists and turns forced me to put these two books down frequently - just so I wouldn't finish them is only one sitting.
Rating:
Summary: Tim Curry's narration is great!
Review: I was not expecting much from this, since some of the reviews were less than flattering. However, I got the audio version and really enjoyed listening to it on my commute! Tim Curry was a great narrator and I found that the 6 hours went by too quickly. I liked the characters and the new plot twists. I would highly recommend this to audio book listeners!
Rating:
Summary: Enjoy what we have!
Review: I also feel there's a nebulous sense of both this book and House Atreides somehow falling short of the Dune ideal. Characters seem to know too much, removing mystery and the feel of being privileged as an outside reader (or a reader in Paul's head). You feel like the reading is too "easy", the answers laid out too early and openly. Aside from vague concerns such as that, and a clearly different writing style (if Kevin Anderson just rubs you the wrong way, remember he does have a hand in writing this), House Harkonen is invaluable for the amount of information it gives us. It provides clear motivation for character actions in the original novels. I was delighted to finally meet the "real" Duncan Idaho, before he became a ghola, to find out how Gurney got his smuggler connections, and to learn why Jessica defied the sisterhood in bearing Leto a son (other than the "she was a woman in love" clause). There are still holes in other places, like Thufir Hawat, but I can't wait to read Dune again, knowing all the history that preceded Paul. I would NOT recommend someone who has never read Dune to start with the prequels. You would probably find Dune to be overly confusing and opaque if you do read the classic after the new novels, due to Frank Herbert's flair for reproducing a mysterious, complex universe.
Rating:
Summary: Thoroughly Enjoyed It.
Review: This was an enlightening view of the Dune universe as written by a different author with an entirely different style and perspective than that of Frank Herbert, the original author of the Dune series. The writing is very good. And I have to admit, while I became a little bored with the original series by the time I got to Chapterhouse, these prequels were hard to put down.
Rating:
Summary: BRAVO!
Review: While I agree that these books do not have the writing style or prose mastery that was Frank Herbert's, these books fill in the Dune pre-story with strength and originality. Excellent writing and a gripping story that I didn't want to put down, enriched with substantial political intrigue that absolutely let me believe that I was peering into the political workings of an intergalactic empire. Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Dune Light Book II
Review: I don't know what it is exactly, but these prequels just don't have that Dune feel. It is hard to explain. The stories are pretty good, and the writing is fine, it just doesn't feel right. Dune is, of course, a classic and I don't want to judge these prequesls too harshly. However, if you read the original Dune there is just an air of deception on every page, and while there are heroes, almost every character has an edge to them. While Dune is a Science Fiction book, in my opinion it strength lies in the intrigue and political maneuvering. This book and House Atreides just don't have that. These prequels would fit better in the Star Wars or Star Trek universe as very light science fiction. I like light sci-fi too, but Dune is not light sci-fi, it is an impact novel and has a complexity and depth that is astounding. The prequels just sort of read like documentaries and really don't ever get you involved all that much. I do recommend you read them just to get the background on some characters. It is interesting to see how they explain the characters attributes that you already know, and how they got that way. One thing though, I already was never too impressed with Thufir Hawat from Dune, since he essentially fails to protect Duke Leto at all in that book, and these prequels paint him to be an even more idiotic mentat. So far in two books he has lost one Dukes life and almost anothers. He is quickly becoming a character who is written as having a great reputation, but you never see evidence of it and more often then not he plays no real impact other than to apologize over and over for his mistakes.
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